Just 7 years ago, my family and I had a HUGE amount of debt! Although we had modest salaries, we made decisions that led to us to accrue $442,500 worth of debt! As debt guru, Dave Ramsey, says, we were "up to our eyeballs in debt!" Being in this much debt was very difficult. Although most of it was low-interest and "good" debt, we certainly didn't feel very good about it. After all, we were paying around $40 per day in interest payments. Since my wife and I were making under $40 per hour at our jobs, the first 1-2 hours of each day went to paying interest. Whether the…
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My Number: How Much Money I Pay in Interest Every Day
Over the past 17 years, someone has stopped by my house and taken between $7 and $40 away from me, every single day. Not only have I allowed this to happen, but I have even invited this to happen! Why would I do this? After all, I consider myself a rational person in most areas of my life, including money. I even like having money.
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My Daughter must do Dance!
Okay, I think that we all need to be honest with each other. The sports that our kids do are getting out of hand. We used to walk to the local little league park carrying a bat (if we were lucky enough to own one) and our mitt. It would cost $50 or so to be on that team and that would be the only cost except for a pair of cleats that we would hand down to our younger brother.
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Don’t Waste Your Life by Waiting
When my oldest son was about one year old, I used to read him 3 books before naptime (when I was at home) and 3 books before bedtime. We read a LOT of books! One of his favorite books was called “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss.
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Christmas is Coming?
"Twas the night before Christmas …" Well ... not quite ... but as I look around at all of the beautiful decorations in stores and on houses and see the first snow here in Michigan, I know that "Winter is Coming" and Christmas is almost here.
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How Much Does Your Drive to Work Cost?
I have a long drive to work. Actually, I have a very long drive. - My drive is so long, that I am the only person in my town who is awake when I leave. - My drive is so long, that I am able to listen to 3 podcasts and an entire book during it. - My drive is so long, that I learned how to fluently speak Japanese during one snowy day last winter. Okay ... perhaps I exaggerate a bit, but I feel like I am driving forever!
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Planting a Money Tree
Earlier this year, we planted a small, rather pathetic-looking, maple tree in our backyard. This tree was about 6-feet tall when we planted it and it really served no purpose except to provide a little bit of food for the deer who came by to eat its leaves. It does not provide much shade and currently only serves as something extra for me to mow around.
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Why I Recommend Reward Credit Cards to My Family
Over the past year, my cousin studied abroad in Ireland. During the time that she was in Ireland, she took advantage of her proximity to the rest of Europe by traveling to Prague, Italy, London, Switzerland, and Spain.
